Wings
by KallistoTheKrow
Summary: Just a short one shot. Magnus has a nightmare after Alec moves back in with him.


Hi guys. Sorry I've been away for so long. I will try to get back to A Study in Chemistry as soon as possible and I have a few more ideas in the works. Playlist for this fic includes Tear It From My Chest by Peter Gundry (he is a wonderful artist, please check out his stuff) and Into the Depths by Vindsvept.  
TMI and it's characters are owned by Cassandra Clare

If you had asked him later, Alec Lightwood would not have been able to say what it was that had woken him that night. Magnus was not usually the type to toss and turn in his sleep, although he did tend to sprawl. There was no breeze, no change in the atmosphere. At first there was no sound, save for the usual white noise of traffic. For several long minutes Alec just sat there in the dark, unable to go back to sleep. Although he was unable to identify what had roused him, a definite unease lingered at the borders of his consciousness. The soft light of a half-moon filtered in through the curtains, providing the only illumination. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary.

Alec was just considering getting up to check the flat, even if it was only to ease his own mind, when he heard a faint groan. It came from direction of his bed partener and he thought for a moment that he must have woken the other man, but when he turned to apologize he found Magnus' eyes to be closed. His face was not relaxed as it usually was in sleep though, a line creased his forehead and his eyes were closed tight. The one hand that Alec could see was gripping the sheets with worrying tightness.

"Magnus?" he whispered, wanting to wake him but unsure if he should.

The warlock did not answer, but his lips parted as a low, pained sound escaped him. No longer hesitating, Alec reached out to touch his lover. One hand going to Magnus' shoulder, the other to cup his face.

"Magnus, wake up," he murmured more firmly them before, giving him a light shake. "You need to wake up."

The response was immediate. The warlock's hand whipped out and only Alec's shadowhunter reflexes saved him from being flung backward off the bed. It was not so much the weight or strength of Magnus' arm that was the danger. It was the fact that surrounding and sparking out from it was a corona of blue light that Alec only just avoided.

"Magnus! Magnus, stop!" Frantically Alec shook the other man. "Wake-"

With a gasp, Magnus jerked upright, nearly headbutting Alec in the process. His catlike eyes skittered across Alec's face then away, pupils blown wide, his gaze unfocused.

"Magnus?" Alec whispered.

The warlock's gaze snapped back to Alec as he seemed to finally notice his presence. He barely had time to register the other's expression before he was flipped onto his back and he instinctively grabbed Magnus' shoulder in what was probably a bruising grip, shadowhunter training kicking in. But then Magnus' mouth was on his and he gasped. It was not a gentle kiss. It was all teeth, tongue, and heat. Hands came into play a moment later, one moving into his hair, the other to his hip, in a hold as fierce as his own.

Adrenaline and lust mixed together in a sudden burst of flame in his blood and Alec groaned. The only thing that kept his thoughts somewhat coherent was feeling of familiarity in the kiss. It reminded him of something, and it didn't feel like a pleasant memory. There was fear in that memory. Fear and pain and desperation.

Alec jerked his head back, gasping out, "Stop. Magnus."

Magnus' reaction was immediate. He wrenched back as if slapped, eyes wide.

"Oh, oh god. Alec I'm so... I'm so sorry"

Before Alec could respond, Magnus rolled away to the edge of the bed, sitting up with his back to him burying his face in his hands, "I'm so sorry."

Alec stared, shocked, at Magnus' back. "Magnus…" he whispered, trailing off, uncertainly.

There was no reply. Slowly, Alec slid himself across the bed and carefully laid a hand on the warlock's back. When Magnus made no move to shrug him off, Alec moved even closer, pressing his chest to Magnus' back and letting his hands glide down his lover's shoulders, over his biceps, around his forearms, to the hands that were clenched tightly in Magnus' hair. It was then that he felt moisture on his fingertips.

"Oh, sweetheart," he murmured, running his fingers soothingly against Magnus's knuckle, trying to loosen his grip.

A muffled sob broke in Magnus' throat as he let go of the black strands of hair to scrub at his face.

"I'm alright, I just-"

"You're not," Alec whispered, "Don't insult us both by saying that you are."

Magnus huffed out a noise that was too watery to be a laugh. "It was just a nightmare. Even us demonspawn get them sometimes."

Alec froze. "Don't ever say that," he grabbed the other man's chin, pulling his face to his own with more force than was needed, "Don't ever call yourself that again."

Magnus' eyes had a glazed look to them, his eyelashes glimmered in the moonlight, not with the glitter that so often adorned his face but with tears. The warlock opened and shut his mouth several times before he finally whispered, "I couldn't save you," Green-gold eyes stared into his own, "He took you, and I couldn't-" Magnus' voice broke, unable to continue.

A cold lump settled in his throat, "Who?" Alec asked, but he already suspected he knew who "he" was. He knew what the kiss had reminded him of. It was something he had tried very hard to suppress himself, but knew he would never be able to.

"My father."

Such simple words. So innocuous. One might hear the same two words every day. They were not words one would normally hear applied when referring to a demon known as the King of the Nine Hells, Asmodeus.

Alec closed his eyes and nodded. It was a surprise really, he reflected that something like this had not happened already. Magnus had had nightmares, they both had. Magnus' had mostly seemed to center around Raphael and Alec, first one then the other. It was only a matter of time that this new element came into play in the warlock's dreams.

Opening his eyes, he found that Magnus had turned away to stare blankly at the wall. Slowly, he shifted forward and flung his leg over the other man's hip, straddling him. Magnus blinked, catlike eyes going wide.

"Alec, what-"

Alec shushed him, carefully cupping Magnus' face between his palms. He leaned in, pressing his forehead to Magnus' with as much gentleness as he could manage.

"I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere," A pained smile crossed his lips, "I fought my way into hell, literally, to find you. Do you think I would just let you go?"

A faint chuckle burst out in a gust of warm breath against Alec's lips.

"Your stubbornness was never really the issue, love."

Alec pulled back a little so he could look at the other man full in the face. Blue eyes finding green.

"We're ok," he stroked one hand through the the dark hair that had fallen forward into Magnus' face, "We're here, and we're both alive."

"It was a nightmare, Alec. I know that we made it out."

"Sometimes it helps to hear it out loud," Alec leaned in and wrapped both arms around his lover and Magnus made no move to stop him. Instead he let out a breath and pressed his face into Alec's shoulder, winding long arms around his waist.

Alec wasn't sure how long they stayed that way. Tightly entwined while he traced lazy patterns into the dark skin of Magnus' back. It was smooth, unblemished. So unlike his own, covered as it was in marks and old scars. He traced the line of shoulder muscle, pressing in gently.

"You would look beautiful with wings."

"What?"

Alec started, he had not realized he had spoken aloud.

"Nothing, I just-"

"No, Alexander. What did you say?" Magnus' voice didn't sound angry, simply curious.

Alec hesitated, "I said… that you would look beautiful with wings."

"And what," the warlock sounded amused now, "prompted that little observation, Alexander? Of course I would look fabulous with any appendage you would care to name but wings are a very-"

Alec let out something that was half laugh, half groan, "Please, do not ever used the word appendage again. That just sounds…" he trailed off as he felt the warlock grin against his neck.

"Alright," Magnus chucked, "but answer the question. Why wings?"

"It's just…" Alec wasn't sure how to explain, "I don't know, it just occurred to me. In a way you kind of have just as much angel blood in you as I do. The image just stuck."

Magnus went still in Alec's arms for several long seconds.

"Fallen angel, not exactly something people would usually look for on a resume."

Alec bit his lip. Wishing he had simply kept his mouth shut.

"I have a question,:" Magnus said, breaking the silence.

"Okay?" Alec said, uncertainly.

"You didn't seem as surprised as I thought you would be," Magnus stated, "when you found out, I mean. Granted," he added thoughtfully, "we were a bit preoccupied with trying not to die, but even afterward you never brought it up."

"Oh," Alec said, surprised, "it was the witchlight."

There was a long pause then, "Ah."

"It's only supposed to respond to shadowhunters," Alec continued, "they're the stones the Iron Sisters extract adamas from. It would only work if you had angel blood. I didn't put it together at first, I was a bit distracted at the time."

Magnus flinched slightly, one hand rising to stroke Alec's hair.

"It doesn't matter, you know," Alec murmured, "I don't care what kind of blood you have."

Magnus chucked, "and that is just one of the things that makes you different from any other shadowhunter I've ever met."

Alec flushed.

Magnus tilted his head to press a kiss against the line of Alec's jaw. Then another in the hollow of his throat. Alec let his head fall back with a sigh. He feels Magnus' hands come up to press firmly against his back and then he's being pulled forward as Magnus lays back, stretching out on the bed. He grunts and hastily moves to support himself so that he doesn't crush the warlock.

"You know I'm not an angel, darling," Magnus murmurs, reaching up to trace Alec's cheekbone, "quite the opposite."

"Neither am I," Alec breathed.

"No," Magnus tilted his head, his expression was almost painfully tender, "No, you're my Alec."

Alec's breath caught as he gazed down at the other man. Unable to find his voice, he instead leaned down and carefully laid his mouth against the Magnus'.

Magnus moaned softly beneath him and Alec felt the familiar flick of his tongue against the seam of his mouth and he easily allowed his lips to part.

His hands were already twined in Magnus' hair so he gave the black locks a slight tug, nipping lightly at Magnus' lower lip.

"Love you," he whispered the words into the other man's mouth, "I love you."

"Alec," Magnus groaned.

"I love you," Alec pressed a kiss to the pulse point of his throat then another over his heart, before he lay his ear against the steady rhythm. A slower beat than a human's would be. "I love you."

"I love you," whispered Magnus, "always."

Alec hummed his assent, stroking gently over the warlock's ribs.

"Stay?" Magnus asked, vulnerability clear in his voice, "just like this. For a little while?"

"Whatever you need," Alec assured him, "anything."


End file.
